Police: Panhandlers beat man for not giving them money
SEATTLE -- A trio of young panhandlers viciously beat a man who had already agreed to give them money when he apparently took too long to find it, according to the Seattle Police Department.
Officers were called to 10th Avenue East and East John Street last Thursday night to find the victim bleeding heavily from numerous severe cuts to his head and suffering from a concussion and a possibly broken jaw.
According to the police report for the incident, the victim was muttering unintelligibly and was unable to put together full sentences.
A witness who had called police told officers he was walking by when he saw three people kicking the victim while he was on the ground.
The victim eventually settled down enough to talk to officers.
He said he was passing by a large group of transient youth sitting on the sidewalk near Broadway and East Olive Way. He started up a conversation with three of the youths, two men and a woman, who eventually asked him for money.
According to the report, he agreed to give them money but took a while to find his cash. While he was searching, he said the three youths started "smarting off" to him for taking too long to find the money.
He told them he just wouldn't give them any since they were being rude.
According to the report, the three youths became angry and chased the victim up East John Street, where they knocked him over and started kicking him in the head. One of the youths dragged the victim to some stairs, put the victim's head on the edge of a step and stomped on it, according to the report.
The victim told officers the three youths kept demanding all of his money. And, he eventually lost consciousness.
Neither the victim nor the witness was able to provide officers with a good description of the suspects.
The victim was taken to Harborview Medical Center for his injuries.
I wish the city would do something about the bums living under the I5 on ramps at 50th street. They've trashed that whole area. It's literally covered in their garbage. All day every day, there's a whole family of drunks that begs for money at all 4 corners of the bridge. I've seen several of them so wasted they are staggering as they aggressively panhandle. They've lived there for years and really show no indication of ever moving on. I've often thought about paying them $50 to clean up their own filth but they would just trash the area again anyway, possibly in order to get hired to clean it again.
Remember when the wonderful mayor vetoed an agressive panhandling ordinance? Here, is a reminder http://www.king5.com/news/local/Seattle-mayor-poised-to-veto-new-pan-handling-law-91908914.html
Thanks mayor, no really.
I disagree with the insinuation that not giving panhandlers money will solve this problem. In fact, I can see where it might possibly end up being worse in some cases.Â
For me, I'm not going to stop giving people money. I do offer to buy food if I am near a place that sells it, but many times, being a bus-commuter, I am not near a location to do that.
This approach may sound counter productive, but my personal philosophy is that I am personally much better off if I avoid trying to judge someone by their appearance when trying to determine whether or not to give them money. How will I know (unless I follow the person, or know their history) if a couple of bucks is going to be spent in a good or bad way? I don't, not from appearance.
This is an exception to this - if I smell alcohol, the answer is a polite no and an offer for food (if nearby).Â
Simple make panhandling illegal and arrest the people who do it.. honestly you never know who really needs help vs who is doing that for some tax free revenue... people STOP giving them MONEY!
You want to help them out ask what shelter they are staying in and donate to that cause... giving them money for booze / drugs or whatever solves nothing!...
One time I gave a person food instead they asked for the receipt I just I gave that person a big stare down and said if you don't want the food I will take it with me but I am not giving you the receipt so you can go return it for the money I just spent to get it for you... they accepted it and that was the end of it.
@Freespeech  There are panhandling laws that are already on the books, and neither
the police, or the city counsel will actually address the issue .
We used to buy season tickets for Seattle's live theater and symphony concert
presentations but it actually became dangerous for me to take my family intoÂ
the downtown corridor because of the aggressive panhandling and theÂ
gang/drug activities.
Seattle, there other venues for live theater, and symphony concerts, so theÂ
failure to act on existing laws is costing those city businesses money. Â
Malls now have the same name stores that used to be found only in SeattleÂ
so specialty shopping that was once exclusive to Seattle can be done locally,Â
or online.
Hmmm.... wonder what the ORIGINAL agreement they negotiated for the money was....
My father in law works for Boeing and travels around the country for training. He said of all of the cities he has been to that Seattle has the most aggressive panhandlers.
Repeat after me when asked for money: NO! If you stop feeding a stray, it will leave. If you stop giving these people money, they will leave. STOP GIVING THEM MONEY! Good grief.Â
Can't give a good description of the perps? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! Come on people! If you see a crime, remember specific details about the suspect. If you have a bad memory then take out your phone and TAKE A PICTURE! Even a crappy picture is better than a crappy description.Â
Now these punks are going to get away with it and that's BS.Â
This doesn't sound as though a completely innocent Good Sam was offering to give some disadvantaged urban youths some money and then they sprung on him and began an unprovoked attack.
That neighborhood "at night"? Â Yeah, either a drug deal gone bad or something similar. Â
@wsmith_84 10th and John... bad neighborhood? Not very.
I quit going into Seattle a year ago. I am fed up with the filth, the drunken transients, the panhandlers. The Progressive city leaders could not care less about the average person enjoying their visit to Seattle. They are more determined to protect the bums that are destroying it. I spent a great deal of $ in the past in downtown Seattle, but no more, never again. Seattle is becoming a cesspool. Additionally, I see that people call the police when these awful things happen. I thought that the SPD was totally evil and were not needed or welcome in Seattle.
We have one who tends to panhandle near our house and people give him money. If it wasn't profitable, they wouldn't do it. This guy is verbally abusive and has been known to "commute" to as far away as Woodinville. FWIW, some of the long-term/permanent shelters turn a blind eye when their residents panhandle. One of those is in our neighborhood now and we asked how they would ensure their residents weren't a problem to the community. They couldn't. My guess is the tax payers are paying for the housing too - which is all the more insulting.
I think it's time to start having laws about panhandling being illegal.
If they are able bodied enough to injure this man this badly they are able bodied enough to work.
Period.
You know...I think that there are already panhandling laws...
Not that they would be FOLLOWED....
@Woodswalker Tacoma has laws in the city about panhandling on exits....there are still bums out there every day. Some world we live in where laws are made and never enforced.....
@dg54321 @Woodswalker Except if you're caught speeding 2 miles over they'll surely get you for that.
Just proves it one again that people need to pack a gun and be willing to use it. It would be nice to read about a victim pulling his gun out and wasting his attackers. Start sending the message that it isn't worth attacking people.
shoot them and let that higher power sort them outÂ
Well..next time don't talk to them fool...
Rest In Peace Tuba Man
Im sorry to say our laws still havent done anything to honor your memory.
We have one that hangs out often across the street from us who yells obscenities and threatens to kill people. I called the police once because he was scaring people to the point where they were afraid to leave their homes. They came and talked to him and then went on their way. I have not heard him yelling and threatening people lately, but he's there and walks vigorously toward you if you go anywhere near.  Obviously the man needs help, but apparently it's not available?
Now Seattle can be just like every mid-sized sh** hole town in California or the midwest and have panhandlers who beat people up. Enjoy your growth as a city...
The entitlement attitude of some people now a days is absolutely disgusting!!!
Best advise, don't try to be friends with strangers in settings like this.Â
Conceal carry or use pepper spray.
When it gets dicey like that, run, like he did, but get your defense weapon or tool ready.
Let em have it.
@TheBronze spray em' with bullets..... Friggin' cowards! Yellow bellied sidewinders....
"Panhandlers" ? ? ?
. . . yo, Police, that is called getting "MUGGED".Â
@ZIPPYÂ Good point Zippy....
Don't feed the bears!!!!!
I will NEVER give money to them.All I would be doing is supporting their drug/alcohol addiction which I refuse to do.There is help out there if they really want it.There were a couple of different times when I saw two completely different people in different locations with signs stating they needed money for food.I had purchased a burger and fries for them and gave the food to them.One person threw it on the ground and yelled at me that he needs money not food.The other one just got pissed, ate the food, but told me that next time, I was to give him money.
@The WA Mama I hope the worms who hurt this person..... get the Bubonic plague and die!
@Funky-Munky @The WA Mama more likely their heroin habits will be the end of them
@The WA Mama Many stories like this....I love the ones where a guy stands on the corner holding a sign, someone offers him a job and he states "Heck no, I make more in a day standing here than you do working in an office!"
That's why I don't even talk to them. Keep clear as much as I can. Poor guy, I hope he recovers well. As for those losers...maybe a nice 20 degree cold snap would be helpful right about now. Ingrates.
I guess some folks have s*^t for brains....
I'm sorry I understand not being able to provide a detailed description BUT can we at least get some basics to work with!!
@tkyed The "transient youth" that do this crap on Capitol Hill are virtually all white 20 something year old people. It would help if people would stop giving them money.Â
<sarcasim on> we need more programs to care for these people. We just don't give enough in taxes, if we gave more people would respect each other more. Besides, it's not fair that the "victim" was allowed to have money and the innocent youths were not! <sarcasim off>
Right Lakeview?
@lakeview It would help if mommy and daddy threw them out of the house....
That's why they're begging for money. Mommy and daddy cut off their allowance and now they can't support their Starbucks habit.
Not surprising. Walking from King Street Station every day to work opened my eyes quite a bit when I did it. Started carrying concealed, because idiots like this are everywhere down there.
Here come all the gun toting right wingers.Â
@mstipton yep, that's what they call us. Know why? Because "victim" was already taken by you and yours. Dummard...
@mstipton Thank God the Left doesn't get near any guns. That ALWAYS ends up badly.Â
@Getov Mylon @mstipton ...but I am an ambidextrous shooter! Oh wrong left.
@Getov Mylon @aintno1special It still is WA, so sexuality has everything to do with it...No?
@aintno1special I fail to see how one's sexuality enters into this discussion.
You would prefer that we all be unarmed potential victims? Go for it but don't expect everyone else to volunteer to be victimized.
@mstipton Here come all of the spineless Lib's recommending no consequences for the Panhandlers... after all they are homeless and down on their luck. Give'm a kitchen pass and let them walk. Right? Thanks for making this immediately political. :rolleyes
@mstipton Please than give us your opinions on what he should have done.
Walk on by. Don't stop to feed the animals.
@mstipton This happened in Seattle, no one would be silly enough to advise a Seattle resident to carry a gun.